This proposal covers a broad range of studies of molecular structures and properties, model and real systems of biological and biomedical interest. Emphasis is on NMR techniques but other physical and chemical techniques are employed. Liquid crystal systems are widely used because of the characteristic orientational, structural and spectral data they provide, and because they serve as models for membranes and membrane processes by virtue of their ordered textures. The program is strongly multidisciplinary, biomedical scientists. Examples of specific problems proposed are: pulse NMR studies of water exchange across erythrocyte membranes and gelation kinetics of sickle cell lysates, including testing of anti-sickling drugs; application of carbon-13 shift anisotropies and deuterium quadrupolar splittings to determinations of order and mobility of amphiphilic chains in liquid crystal systems; determinations of structure and orientations of solutes in partially ordered media; and relaxation studies of aminoglycoside antibiotics.